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Senate faults IG on laws to tackle terrorism

November 22, 2012 : John Alechenu, Abuja

Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar

The Senate has expressed shock at the pronouncement by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, that the absence of relevant laws was stalling the prosecution of terror suspects in the country.

Abubakar, had at a meeting with Senior Police Officers, in Abuja, on Tuesday declared that the police were waiting for the passage of the anti-Terrorism Bill to prosecute terror suspects.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information and Media, Enyinnaya Abaribe, expressed the the feeling of senators at a media briefing in Abuja, on Wednesday.

He said, “The Senate was really very surprised and we were, I would say, flabbergasted that the Inspector General of Police would say that there is no law or there is no anti-terrorism law.

“The Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011, was passed by the Senate and the House on June, 1, 2011 and on June 2, 2011, it was forwarded by the Clerk of the National Assembly to the President. To show how important it was, the President signed this law on June 3, 2011.

“In fact, I have a copy of the Act here. The Act makes elaborate provisions for the prevention of terrorism, for prosecuting people who have committed terrorist acts. I think that maybe the Inspector- General has not been briefed properly by his legal team.

“There is the existence of a bill that has been here for more than a year and now we are in November- a year and five months after its passage. What happened was that even on top of the bill that has already been passed, the Senate went ahead to pass an amendment of this bill and the amendment was passed on October 17 this year.”

“The amendment was merely to expand part of the provisions of that bill but everything that you need to fight the war against terrorism is already in the Act.

“We are going to make sure that we send a copy of this Act to the Inspector General of Police. We find it very difficult to believe that an arm of government will say they do not have a law that has been signed by the President more than a year ago.

“I think that there must be something wrong that is going on there. It is not true that we don’t have an anti-terrorism law. We have an anti-terrorism Act which has been passed since June and signed by Mr. President.”

Earlier, the Senate spokesperson said the Upper House passed a harmonized version of the Automative Council Bill with the hope that it would kick-start the production of a made in Nigeria cars.

THE POLICE SHOULD START BY PUTTING THEIR HOUSE IN ORDER IN ABUJA CONSTABLES ARE REQUESTING FOR 35,000 NAIRA FOR TRAFFIC OFFENCES THEY ARE WORST THAN TERRORISTS.

keke

Send the Act to the IG and stop this mumbo jumbo on air

ayobami

KEKE,d IGP av it,he’s a boko haram member,he is completing d genocide of xtains he began in jos

ema

whether I.G. or Senators, people in positions of authorities in Nigeria are shameless. They defecates openly in the streets in the presence of their children and carry their feaces to the market place by themselves. Even the shortness of life as evidenced in the death of their cohorts from time to time teaches them no lesson. Useless country.

Johny Jones Ikeh

Abubakar is 100% damn right. Does Nigeria have any law or legislation to prosecute terrorists? Does the country have any functional legislation at all?

sense

If the law as been passed and sign what is the penalty for anyone found culpable?

OCCUPY NASS

Good question from Sense, what is the penalty?
However, the statement accredited to the IG was too vague for person of his position.
People in position and authority in Nigeria don’t take responsibility they enjoy passing blames to others. This attitude of passing blames to others and circumstance has eaten deep into our families that almost every working class person, students, teenager and kids back home do the same at slightest opportunity.

Nato

This news reminds me of Northern agenda!

Albert

woow !!!

Shaft

The police will always fail to see or notice such things except the rustling of notes. So much for the Nigeria police. It’s not only sending them the assented copy of the act that matters but also teaching them how to go about the prosecution of terror suspects compromised.

HITLER

The IGP needs interpretation of the terrorism law. He has the law but cannot understand its contents since his brothers are the members of boko haram

ayobami

hitler,he understands d law but he’s a boko haram mentor.he aided killings of xtains in jos and he’s doing same now

Soji Toki

Even if the Act is passed today, it cannot be used to prosecute them because law does not have retroactive effect.

Isaac Ubiomo

Abubakar has not learnt from Ringim

One day na one day.

wort nig need, revolution or divide

AYO KIKANME

CRIME IS CRIME MUST YOU GIVE IT A BEFITTING NAME BEFORE YOU PUNISH THE OFFENDERS

Igbiki

Does the Police want a law that will take effect retroactively on people arrested before the law was passed.

Maybe the Police chief doesn’t know the meaning of common sense.

Joy

“I think that there must be something wrong that is going on there. It is not true that we don’t have an anti-terrorism law. We have an anti-terrorism Act which has been passed since June and signed by Mr. President.”

God will demand the blood of innocents killed unjustly from you all (both parties) if you know the right thing and you refuse to do it.

Air Raid

@celtics i like your comment though it show how stupid you are

Engr Ola

Nigeria is a big mess. Take a trip to one of the small European countries that has one fifth of Nigeria’s wealth as compared to the population ratio between the two countries and you will know that all our leaders are selfish and know what to do, but corruption has diverted their attention from the common needs of the citizenry. TOO BAD

Harry (Australia)

IG shame on u; pls discharged yourself from that position, u are just a bull in the Chinese shop!

clarkibe

the IG SHOULD Focus on wiping away terrorism in the country

usman umar

Duk jaHilaine they dnt know nothing they ar after money

Francis Cole

Francis Cole
@ Celtics 1, thank you for your observation just look that police officer by the left of IGP, look at him very well, he has leprocy disease. Hahahahahaha Aboki police na wao. They are all BH including the IGP. I hate them all, bunch of Apes.

Rev Dr Felix Nwosu

OUR LAW SAYS THAT THEY SHOULD ALLOW CRIMINALS TO GO FREE AND KILLERS TO GO FREE AND SHOULD I CONTINUE TO GO FREE DAS IS THE LAW AND LAWMAKERS. MY IGP. OUR JUDICIARY IS ON LEAVE AND IS NOT THERE RESPOSIBILITY IS THE SENATE WORK. WONDERFUL. REASON FOR KEEPING THEM THE IS WORLD IS WATCHING OUR DOINGS BACK HERE IN NIGERIA.

Gideon Orkar

I will say it again. The IG is a Boko haram person. Did he not kill Chreestians in Jos? he was found guilty by a panel and GEJ went to make him IG against all advice

celtics1

The two Dig behind the I.G look like a frog and a monkey ,which they truly are . I hate nigerian police with everything in me

Francis Cole

@ Celtics 1, thank you for your observant, just look that police officer by the left of IGP, look at him very well, he has leprocy disease. Hahahahahaha Aboki police na wao. They are all BH including the IGP. I hate them all, bunch of Apes.

Spokesperson for the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, saying his colleagues passed a vote of confidence in Dr. Bukola Saraki’s senate leadership in order to spite President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress leadership.